A powerful account of witches, crones, and the societies that make them From the gruesome ogress in Hansel and Gretel to the hags at the sabbath in Faust, the witch has been a powerful figure of the Western imagination. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries thousands of women confessed to being witches--of making pacts with the Devil, causing babies to sicken, and killing animals and crops--and were put to death. This book is a gripping account of the pursuit, interrogation, torture, and burning of witches during this period and beyond. Drawing on hundreds of original trial transcripts and other rare sources in four areas of Southern Germany, where most of the witches were executed, Lyndal Roper paints a vivid picture of their lives, families, and tribulations. She also explores the psychology of witch-hunting, explaining why it was mostly older women that were the victims of witch crazes, why they confessed to crimes, and how the depiction of witches in art and literature has influenced the characterization of elderly women in our own culture.

Feeling Exclusion: Religious Conflict, Exile and Emotions in Early Modern Europe investigates the emotional experience of exclusion at the heart of the religious life of persecuted and exiled individuals and communities in early modern Europe. Between the late fifteenth and early eighteenth centuries an unprecedented number of people in Europe were forced to flee their native lands and live in a state of physical or internal exile as a result of religious conflict and upheaval. Drawing on new insights from history of emotions methodologies, Feeling Exclusion explores the complex relationships between communities in exile, the homelands from which they fled or were exiled, and those from whom they sought physical or psychological assistance. It examines the various coping strategies religious refugees developed to deal with their marginalization and exclusion, and investigates the strategies deployed in various media to generate feelings of exclusion through models of social difference, that questioned the loyalty, values, and trust of "others". Accessibly written, divided into three thematic parts, and enhanced by a variety of illustrations, Feeling Exclusion is perfect for students and researchers of early modern emotions and religion.

Magical phenomenon, pagan worship, sorcery, and religion have all at one time been thought of as witchcraft. Witches, were labeled magical wizards, or sorcerers who had powers to conjure ill feeling or will toward non-magical people. These ideas predate the Anglo-Saxon period. This engaging and meticulously illustrated atlas reveals cultural ideas, from a global perspective, about witches and witchcraft, their place in their society, and the sometimes cruel punishments they were subjected to. Sidebars and boxes highlight interesting facts, glossary, an index, and resources for further study conclude this fascinating book.

Wicked witches aren't just for Halloween. With the help of this imaginative book, young artists can draw different versions of these spooky and mysterious creatures any time of year. Readers will also learn about the different roles witches play in mythology and folklore. Simple step-by-step instructions help artists create unique drawings of different styles, including manga and cartoon. Accessible lessons range in difficulty so artists of all levels can enjoy what this innovative book has to offer.

Most vols. for 1890- contain list of members of the Folk-lore Society.

Containing annotated extracts from key sources, this guide to William Shakespeare's Macbeth explores the heated debates that this play has sparked. Looking at issues, such as the representation of gender roles, political violence and the dramatisation of evil, this volume provides a way through the wealth of contextual and critical material that surrounds Shakespeare's text.